| RENDITION, a ripped-from-the-headlines tale of the politics of terrorism, wants to be (in no particular order) a thriller, an expose, a sermon, and a thought-provoking inquiry. Thus, a shallow moviegoer like me, wanting mainly the entertaining thriller, will understandably feel stretched thin ...and, e.g., may resent when Plot seems bent by Principle. Still, this is a nice production, to be sure. Meryl Streep's wicked witch is convincing (duh)... and even if the remaining (and illustrious) American leads go slightly cardboard, the foreign leads make up for it. Meanwhile, it's worth noting that the thriller that *is* here does embody a quite clever metaphor, good for later appreciation. RENDITION's a mixed result by my - and by what I'm guessing are its own - standards ...but it's still watchable. Recommended. -- - - - - - - - - YOUR taste at work... http://www.moviepig.com |